2011 NBA Mock Draft

So I'm going to take a crack at my own Mock Draft. First of all, it's important to note that I agree with a lot of the experts in saying this class is weak. But there should be some solid role-players and maybe even second-tier stars in this draft.

Anyways, with the draft still some time away, and in the midst of some HUGE Conference Finals showdowns, here is how I think the 1st round of the draft will go down. Click on each player's name for the link to a YouTube video (except for Markief Morris cause like everything else about him, it'd be the same as Macrus Morris' video) -

1st pick - Cleveland Cavaliers - Kyrie Irving

Irving won't be anywhere near as good as the Cavs' last number one overall pick, LeBron James. He won't be as good as last year's number one pick, John Wall. Or the year before that's number one pick, Blake Griffin. Or the year before that's number one pick, Derrick Rose. Or the year before that's, ummm, number two pick, Kevin Durant. And so on. Point being, I don't see Irving being a franchise player. But he should be solid for the Cavs and the best player available in this draft.

2nd pick - Minnesota Timberwolves - Derrick Williams

Is it too early to draft Brandon Knight? All kidding aside regarding Kahn's love of point guards, I think this selection will be a simple case of them taking the best player available. Already. With Mike Beasley, Wesley Johnson and Kevin Love already in the small forward / power forward rotation, if the Wolves draft Williams, someone might be on the outside looking in next season. Hopefully Khan.


3rd pick - Utah Jazz -Brandon Knight

If this pick had been any other team's I might have gone with Enes Kanter, but the Jazz currently have only Devin Harris as a truly servicable point guard and could use another one. Surprisingly, he'll be the only Kentucky player in the lottery this year. Or does Kanter count?

4th pick - Cleveland Cavaliers - Enes Kanter

Back so soon? The Cavs get their second pick in four selections. Kanter looks like a solid future pro. JJ Hickson was thought of as the possible future franchise player, but his at times ineffectiveness in Bryon Scott's system and the impending arrival of Kyrie Irving and another lottery pick makes him expendable, or at least bench relegatable (is that a word?).


5th pick - Toronto Raptors -Kemba Walker

Like Khan and point guards, I'm really tempted to say Colangelo will pick a European big here. But he seems committed to Ed Davis and Andrea Bargnani, so the Raptors go with Walker, who many believed was the best player in college last year.

6th pick - Washington Wizards - Jan Vesely

Vesely  has great size at 6'11' and can play the three or the four. John Wall would love his hustle and tenacity.

7th pick - Sacramento Kings - Jonas Valanciunas

The Kings have DeMarcus Cousins and other formidable frontcourt players, but Jonas might be too good to pass up here.


8th pick - Detroit Pistons - Bismack Biyombo

The intrigue surrounding this kid from the Congo is unbelievable. With a huge wingspan and an excellent motor, he should become a fan favorite in the Motor City.

9th pick - Charlotte Bobcats - Donatas Motiejunas

The Bobcats, like the Bulls before them, haven't been too impressed with Tyrus Thomas and might look for a big here. Motiejunas was thought to be a top ten pick last year but he decided to opt out at the last minute.

10th pick - Milwaukee Bucks - Tristan Thompson

The 10th pick had brought us some very good NBA players in the past. Guys like Paul Pierce, Andrew Bynum, Caron Butler, Brandon Jennings, Brook Lopez and Joe Johnson. Tristan Thompson won't be as good as most of those guys, if any. But he should be a solid player.


11th pick - Golden State Warriors - Kawhi Leonard

Still have no idea why they chose Epke Udoh so high last year. But it's the Warriors. Leonard was one of the best mid-major players in the country last year. NBA fans should love his energy.

12th pick - Utah Jazz - Alec Burks

After taking Brandon Knight with the third pick, the Jazz will look to another back court player, this time Burks of Colorado. Burks was a high scorer in college.

13th pick - Phoenix Suns - Marcus Morris

Marcus was the best player on one of the best teams in college last year. The Suns could use his toughness and rebounding.

14th pick - Houston Rockets - Klay Thompson 

With Yao Ming's future still uncertain, the Rockets may yet again elect to go with a big man. Or they may decide to believe Hasheem Thabeet might actually pan out. If they don't elect to go big, Thompson would be a fine choice for them. 

15th pick - Indiana Pacers - Darius Morris

The Pacers need a point guard. They surprised many by making a run at the playoffs and making the first round a bit tougher than expected for the Chicago Bulls. Morris could come in and spell  Darren Collison in Indiana.

16th pick - Philadeplphia 76ers - Markief Morris

Another team that surprised. And wherever Marcus Morris gets drafted, you can expect to see Markeif get drafted not too long after that. 

17th pick - New York Knicks - Jimmer Fredette 

Why not? The BYU bomber goes back home to back up Billups.


18th pick - Washington Wizards - Tobias Harris

The Wiz snatch up the Tennessee freshman with their second pick in the first round. He should also play well with John Wall. Playing with Wall isn't the toughest job in the world, though.

19th pick - Charlotte Bobcats - Chris Singleton

Singleton should be a solid defender in the L. And as a 6'9" small forward, he'd be a nice addition to any team.

20th pick -  Minnesota Timberwolves - Tyler Honeycutt

Never know which direction Kahn is gonna go in. He might just up and take another point guard here. Honeycutt is solid athletically, but he desperately needs to add weight.

 21st pick - Portland Trailblazers - Trey Thompkins

They need frontcourt depth. Thompkins was solid at Georgia and can back up Aldridge .

22nd pick - Denver Nuggets - Kenneth Faried

There's a lot of uncertainty going forward with the Nuggets. They could lose Kenyon Martin, Nene or both in free agency. Faried is a tenacious rebounder who will remind some of Paul Millsap minus the jump shot.

23rd pick - Houston Rockets - Jordan Hamilton

Hamilton exceled in his second season at Texas. But he was also inconsistent at times. He would have to battle Terrence Williams, Courtney Lee, Kevin Martin and Chase Budinger for playing time if chosen by the Rockets.

24th pick - Oklahoma City Thunder - Davis Bertans

Not that Kevin Durant really needs a backup, but Bertans would allow the Thunder to rest Durant and still keep a near seven-foot jump shooter on the floor. Besides being really tall and and having a sweet jumper however, no other aspect of Bertans' game will remind any of Durant.

25th pick - Boston Celtics - Lucas Nogueira

Unfortunately, he's not the next Kendrick Perkins, but the next Brazilian NBA big man is still raw and could develop into a solid shotblocker/rebounder.

26th pick - Dallas Mavericks - JaJuan Johnson

Another shotblocker. If paired with Tyson Chandler, the two would provide a wonderful shotblocking duo. Also, that would probably mean Dirk is on the bench. So not much scoring, but a definite block party.

27th pick - New Jersey Nets - DeAndre Liggins

Liggins might slide into the first round. If he does, the Nets need more wing players.


28th pick - Chicago Bulls - Marshon Brooks

The Bulls could really use a shooting guard that can, um, shoot. Or at least score. Brooks did plenty of that his senior season, to the tune of 24.6 points per game. Good for second in the nation. He also possesses the long arms and athletic ability to be a good defender with proper coaching. Enter Tom Thibodeau.


29th pick - San Antonio Spurs - Jeremy Tyler

I think the Spurs can afford to take a risk here. And Tyler is certainly one of those high risk/high reward picks. He was once the number one player in his high school class, now after leaving for overseas after his junior year of high school, he might not even be a first round pick.

30th pick - Chicago Bulls - Justin Harper

A 6'10" power forward with a great jump shot. Needs to get stronger to be able to defend NBA power forwards though.